In the field of tool and die, press machines are used to press metal blanks (sheets of metal with a precut general shape) into three-dimensional shaped panels that vary in length, width and depth. Vehicle body panels, such as fenders, door casings, spare tire wheel wells engine hoods, etc., are typically formed by die press machines. With such a diverse number of shaped panels that are formed using a press machine, it is apparent that the press machines which create the panels will also be as equally diverse.
The press machines that are used to form the shaped panels vary in form and function. For instance, there are various types of press machines, such as, but not limited to, draw presses, punch presses, trim presses, cam presses and flange presses. While each of these press machines have various features that make them unique from one another, all of them have a similar general principle in that they form, cut or shape metal by pressing it between a pair of die shoes. The die shoes include an upper shoe and a lower shoe having opposing forming surfaces that are used to press the metal blanks into a shaped panel.
The die shoes will wear out after a certain number of presses and will need to be replaced. The replacement of a die shoe set is a very costly process because the die sets and related components are not reused. This translates into tens of thousands of dollars in cost overhead. Also, when a new die set is first introduced into a press it has to be aligned manually so that the contact between the upper and lower die shoes is proper. This aligning process requires a great deal of time and money because it is a very labor intensive operation.